1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wireless communication networks. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatuses, systems, and methods for device-to-device connections.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless networks often include multiple user terminals in a radio cell served by a base station. In many wireless networks, when two user terminals communicate with one another, all such communications must flow through the base station regardless of the physical distance separating the user terminals. Though such networks enable communication between two user terminals, such networks do not make optimal use of local communications between nearby devices, by requiring all communications to be sent via the base station.
In light of this deficiency, certain technologies have been used to enable user terminals to communicate with one another without involving the base station. Such technologies include wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies, Bluetooth technologies, and Ultra-wideband (UWB) radio technologies. Though these technologies may enable user terminals to communicate at least to a certain degree, the currently available technologies have certain deficiencies.
For example, enabling a WLAN or UWB system often involves device configuration, access point maintenance, and user data entry. Another example is the pairing process of Bluetooth technology, where a user is required to enter data, such as the secret passkey, into each Bluetooth device. As such, currently available device-to-device communication technologies require an undesirable amount of data entry and device configuration from a user and/or network administrator standpoint.